Young also believes that Americans need to bring industry back to this country rather than relying on imports. Doing so would increase jobs, although he understands that automation has reduced the number of labor positions available.

“My father had a ranch; we used to have 50-60 wetbacks to pick tomatoes,” he said. “It takes two people to pick the same tomatoes now. It’s all done by machine.”

Not exactly what the Republican Party, desperate to attract Latino voters, wants to hear.

It’s not surprising, then, that Republican have been piling on young.

The Huffington Post reports that Speaker John Boehner, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and the Republican national chair have all criticized young.

A sampling:

“Congressman Young’s remarks were offensive and beneath the dignity of the office he holds,” Boehner said. “I don’t care why he said it — there’s no excuse and it warrants an immediate apology.”

“Migrant workers come to America looking for opportunity and a way to provide a better life for their families,” Cornyn said. “They do not come to this country to hear ethnic slurs and derogatory language from elected officials. The comments used by Rep. Young do nothing to elevate our party, political discourse or the millions who come here looking for economic opportunity.”

“I used a term that was commonly used during my days growing up on a farm in central California. I know that this term is not used in the same way nowadays and I meant no disrespect.”

In his statement, Young said migrant workers “play an important role in America’s workforce, and earlier in the said interview, I discussed the compassion and understanding I have for these workers and the hurdles they face in obtaining citizenship. America must once and for all tackle the issue of immigration reform.”

Other highlights of the Tuesday Alaska radio interview:

Young is upset about regulations that reduce the number of floatplane landings at Misty Fjords National Monument in southeast Alaska.

He said that same agency told local residents that tourism would replace the logging industry, but now tourism is facing new restrictions.

“What are we doing? We’re not cutting any trees or doing anything positive,” he said.

Got it: The only good tree is a horizontal tree.

And then there was this chestnut: The station said Young told it that if the U.S. were forming today, no states would join. All would want to be independent.

The hits keep coming for the congressman. The Anchorage Daily News notes that Thursday Young appeared to advise young people to drink alone to avoid domestic violence:

On Thursday, he addressed a Choose Respect noon rally at the Capitol in Juneau and appeared to advise people to drink alone to reduce the risk of domestic violence.

“Watch the alcohol and the drugs,” Young said from a podium on the Capitol steps. “You look at the relationship between violence against the loved ones you love, (it) is usually related to either one of those. And I’m going to suggest for those that may be drinking together — Stop it! If you want to drink by yourself, you may do it. But when you drink together, the possibility of harm becomes greater every day.”